PISANELLO
(b. 1395, Pisa, d. 1455, Roma)

Borso d'Este

c. 1440
Metalpoint and ink on parchment, 130 x 88 mm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

Two drawings by Pisanello in the Louvre show Borso d'Este as a young man. These drawings have occasionally been associated with the production of a medal, either by Pisanello or by Amadeo da Milano.

The drawing done in metalpoint seems to have been taken from life and is of great subtlety. In the other drawing, Pisanello has gone over the faint metalpoint marks with pen and ink, working toward a more formal solution.

Borso d'Este (1413-1471) was the ruler of Ferrara for more than two decades. He succeeded his more cultured and intellectual brother Leonello, in 1450. He was made duke of Modena and Reggio by Frederick III in 1452, and in 1471, four months before his death, he was installed as duke of Ferrara.




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